our hearts are too ruthless to break
by perfectlyrose
Summary: Amy and Rose are just two ordinary women who meet in a coffee shop and start falling in love. That's not the whole story though. Double lives and superpowers complicate things and just when everything seems to fall into place, a threat to their lives and love emerges from the shadows. (Amy/Rose Superhero & Coffee shop AU)
1. Prologue

Okay, so I've been talking about this AU and working on it for AGES and here it is, it's starting. Part One will follow soon and is where things really start to get going. Thanks to Em and MK for their support and feedback!

* * *

It was a world of miracles and monsters, of people born with powers that no one could explain or predict. Some who were born with these powers saw them as a burden, some felt they were a sign that they had a higher purpose and needed to protect the world or try to rule it. The big cities of the world were magnets for people with powers big and small. They came to their streets to try and make their mark on the world or just try to disappear among the masses and forget they had powers at all.

London was no different than New York or Paris or Los Angeles. It called to people whether they had powers or not. Its streets teemed with criminals and honest citizens and politicians. Superheroes and villains roamed among them, indistinguishable from anyone else until they put on their war paint and uniforms and leapt into the limelight.

Bad Wolf was one of the most well-known as well as one of the most mysterious figures on the London superhero scene. She appeared around June of 2014, and started protecting the people of the city from crime both big and small, building a reputation and garnering attention quickly. She didn't seek out any fanfare though, like many did, just let it be known that her name was Bad Wolf and she meant no harm to the normal citizens of London.

No one knew why she went by Bad Wolf. It seemed like an odd name for a superhero but whenever someone had the chance to ask her—reporter or fan—she just shot them a mysterious smile and disappeared without answering.

The criminals she faced had no question as to why she chose her name. They saw her feral lupine smile in all its glory right before she took them out, saw the ruthlessness in her golden eyes that told them that she might be a hero, but that didn't mean she was good .

The media had to piece together what Bad Wolf's powers were via hearsay and secondhand accounts as she did her best to stay out of the public eye. Of course her avoidance just made everyone's curiosity about her grow. The slowly and painstakingly gathered intelligence on the new superhero caused a ripple of unease to go through the city once released. She was a hero but her powers, powers that no one had ever seen the like of before, could so easily be turned to the other side.

(No one liked to admit that any power and powered person had the potential to be good or bad but it was impossible to avoid the conversation when Bad Wolf was involved.)

Bad Wolf held power over time itself and the implications of that, the fact that someone could control something so integral to the universe as time, scared people. It didn't make little girls stop playing at being Bad Wolf or cause the media to stop lauding her actions but it made conversations about her turn to whispers and forced scientists who had been studying the phenomenon of superpowers for decades reevaluate everything.

She manipulated time, stretching and shrinking spans of seconds, spinning it into the shapes she desired and using it as a weapon against those who dared to endanger her city. She played in the space between one second and the next. The reports all said the same thing. When she called on her powers her entire body glowed gold and her eyes looked like molten pools of the substance.

The first time someone snapped a picture of Bad Wolf in her full glory, glowing gold and wrapped in her red outfit, complete with a hood that made her seem more like little Red instead of the big, bad wolf, it made the front page of every paper in London and many others around the world.

It may have been a world of miracles but some things never changed and there were those who thought being a superhero was a man's job, and there were certainly more male than female superheroes in the public eye to back up that flawed opinion. The world sat up and took notice when another female superhero made a splashy entrance to the London superhero scene a year after the debut of Bad Wolf.

The media tried to pit this new hero against the old, tried to create a rivalry but it fizzled out before they could truly get it to stick because their paths never crossed. The two heroes never gave any fuel to the fire, so the media was forced to talk about them separately instead of lumping them together and reducing them to petty, contrived drama. Little girls in London and around the world cheered when one of their heroes was in the news and told their mothers they were going to be heroes too.

The new superhero on the scene was known as Siren. No one questioned her name choice. The ginger superhero was as beautiful and as dangerous as her name suggested. She lured people in with her looks and her charm and then took them down without breaking a sweat as her foes didn't expect anything of substance from her at the beginning and continued to think her powers were exaggerated..

Her powers, once discovered, were as terrifying as Bad Wolf's. In the most basic sense, her power was telekinesis, a common one to have, although most who did could only move small objects a short distance. Superheroes with strong telekinetic powers had been known to move train carriages and cars and other large inanimate objects but it was rare.

Siren, however, moved people. She could control their motions like they were puppets, could stop the beat of their heart in their chest if she so chose.

The scientists already looking for a way to combat Bad Wolf's powers started scrambling to find a way to neutralize Siren's.

Siren didn't talk to the media but she didn't avoid the cameras. Within two months of her appearance there were hundreds of pictures of her signature red hair caught in the wind, of her in the skintight midnight blue costume and mask she had adopted, ruthless smile playing across her face.

Word started circulating in criminal circles that neither Siren nor Bad Wolf were necessarily hindered by the strict moral code that most heroes abided by and endlessly pontificated on. Their paths never crossed but their reputations were similar. Neither of them gave second chances and, if they thought they were doing the right thing, they would smile as they tore someone to pieces.

They were heroes, but they weren't afraid to stain their hands with blood if it meant people would be safer. The media praised their more public deeds and turned a blind eye to the ones that were done in back alleys and empty warehouses, the ones that were more morally grey, because they knew London needed its heroes, needed Siren and Bad Wolf.

What no one knew was that Siren and Bad Wolf needed each other.


	2. Part One: Amy & Rose

And Part One has landed! I hope y'all like fluff! I haven't written Part Two yet but it will have more superhero action :)  
Also fun fact, in case you don't know, Cosmic Latte is the name that was given to the average color of the universe. I also thought it would make an excellent coffee shop name :)

* * *

The bell above the door tinkled cheerfully, announcing the entrance of a customer into Cosmic Latte. Amy looked up from where she was flipping through a magazine to see who had ventured in during the slowest afternoon shift she had ever experienced and immediately straightened at the sight of a rather gorgeous blonde woman standing at the counter contemplating the menu board. Quickly running her fingers through her hair to make sure it wasn't a mess; Amy signaled Martha that she would take this one. The other girl just nodded and turned back to the textbook she was studying.

"Hello!" Amy greeted as she stepped up to the register. "What can I get started for you?" She gave her best smile, the one that was unmistakably flirtatious and hardly ever failed her, and hoped to all that was holy that it wasn't wasted on the blonde.

The blonde's eyes dropped down to Amy's mouth, lingered. Amy almost wanted to cheer.

"I'll have a large caffè mocha with an extra shot of espresso." She paused and treated the ginger a devastating smile of her own, tongue tucked between her teeth as a tease. "Can always use a little extra spark in my day."

"Glad to provide that for you," she replied with a wink. Amy was grinning, she knew she was and she honestly had no intention of reining it in any time soon. It wasn't every day a gorgeous woman walked in and was willing to stand here and flirt with her after all. "Can I get a name for the order?"

"Rose," the blonde answered, grinning right back.

"Right then, Rose, is this for here or to-go?"

"To-go, I'm afraid. I'm on the run today." She sounded genuinely regretful that she couldn't sit around and drink her coffee and Amy's heart leapt, beating out a rapid tattoo of hope.

"No problem, that just means you'll have to come back for a longer visit some other time," she said brightly. She basked in Rose's smile and her soft agreement that yeah, she would have to come back.

The moment was broken by the bell above the door. Amy gave her an apologetic look before rattling off the price. Rose handed over a five pound note and dropped all the change given back to her in the tip jar with a wink before walking away from the counter to wait for her drink.

Amy quickly took the order of the rather harried looking business man that was next in the queue before starting to make both coffees. She quickly scribbled a note next to Rose's name on her to-go cup before topping it off with whipped cream and putting the lid on. She called Rose's name and handed her coffee over with a wink and a brush of fingertips.

"Hope to see you back soon," Amy said with a smile that was miles away from professional.

"Likewise," the blonde answered. Her eyes flicked down to the nametag pinned on her apron before drifting back up to make eye contact one last time. "I'll be looking forward to it, Amy."

Her smile was almost blinding as she turned and walked out of the store. Amy stood shellshocked for a couple seconds before the irate grumbling of her other customer snapped her out of it.

The traces of the smile Rose left her with and the joy it engendered lingered for the rest of her shift.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Rose was still smiling when she reached her turn, two streets away from Cosmic Latte It had been a whim to stop in the coffee shop on her way to the office but she was so glad she had. Amy had been an unexpected delight and Rose fully intended to drop by to see her again.

Maybe next time she would leave the shop with the ginger woman's number instead of just a stellar caffè mocha and a sense memory of fingers brushing together and practically sparking on contact. It had been so long since she'd felt that kind of connection with anyone. She'd had a string of rather boring boyfriends over the past few years with a few slightly more satisfying flings with women that never seemed to last as long as she hoped.

Honestly, dating while trying to juggle a career and life as a controversial superhero was more difficult than it had any right to be. The whole secret keeping aspect of being a vigilante was what had spelled the end of Rose's last five relationships or so.

Rose took another sip of her coffee. She should be better at hiding the fact that she was hiding something by now. Even before she had taken to trying to protect the city as Bad Wolf she had been in the habit of hiding her powers. Her mum had instilled the need for secrecy and precaution in Rose from a very young age when it became evident that Rose's powers were outside of the normal scope found on the Estate.

She shook her head ruefully while waiting to cross another road. All her mum had wanted for her was a quiet life, a normal life. With her powers, though, a normal life just wasn't in the cards for Rose.

The walk to the office took another ten minutes. Outside of the Daily News newspaper headquarters, Rose stopped and took the last sip of her coffee before moving to toss it in the bin. Just as she was about to let go of the paper cup she caught sight of writing on the side of it that was not simply a notation of her order.

Next to her name there was a note that read: "See you tomorrow? 10-5"

Rose grinned down at the cup, not caring that she probably looked like an idiot. Now she didn't have to worry about going into Cosmic Latte when Amy wasn't working tomorrow. The barista had left her work schedule on the cup. It wasn't a phone number, not yet, but it was definitely a start.

Clever and gorgeous. Oh, Rose was definitely in trouble.

Rose detoured from the bin, tucking the cup into her bag as she entered the newspaper building. She was feeling just sentimental and hopeful enough to keep it for a bit.

She was almost to her desk when she was hailed by the society editor. "Hey, Tyler, you got that piece on the gallery opening finished yet?"

"Give me a chance to get to my desk and I'll send it you, Mr. Mitchell," she answered brusquely, trying to sidle past him without further conversation.

He didn't get the hint and followed her to her desk, leaning against it to watch as she logged in and pulled up the brief article she'd written. "So, Rose, I'm personally covering the Poisson charity dinner that's next week and they told me I could bring a plus one. Interested in joining me? I'd love to see you all dolled up."

Rose resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Barely. She really tried to avoid talking to him more than necessary. She'd thought he was a bit fit for the first few days of working for him before his overbearing arrogance and condescension towards everyone wiped away any trace of attraction.

She spun to face her editor and gave him a smile that was more akin to a wolf baring its teeth than a friendly gesture. "Look, Adam, I've told you before, I'm not going to any functions with you that I'm not required to. I don't know how else to tell you that I'm _really_ not interested in dating my boss."

"You could transfer to a different sector and then I wouldn't be your boss anymore," he said, apparently unfazed by Rose's rejection.

"I like working Culture & Society," Rose said, gritting her teeth. "Maybe I should make myself clearer, I'm not interested in you, boss or no."

Adam's face twisted in anger. "I was just trying to be nice since you can't ever seem to get a date," he spat.

"Just 'cause I don't parade my dates about the office doesn't mean I don't have them," she shot back acidly.

Adam snorted in disbelief, pricking Rose's pride and goading her to respond.

"Oi, I have a date tomorrow, ta." Calling her intended meet up with Amy a date might be stretching the truth a bit but Adam didn't need to know that.

"Oh, really? Who's the lucky bloke?" He sneered, disdain dripping from every word.

Rose's smile was sharp and feral. "She's not a bloke." She took a moment to savor the shocked look on Adam's face, etching it into her memory. "Anyways, if you don't mind, I have actual work to get to."

Her editor didn't say a word as he walked away.

She was probably going to pay for her blatant rejection and everything with less than choice assignments over the next month or so but even Adam's hurt pride couldn't keep her away for too long. Everyone at the paper knew she was one of the best writers for art and music pieces so the most Adam could do was cut down the number of inches she got and assign the flashier pieces to the other writers.

Rose didn't mind if he did. The flashy pieces usually required her to be at an event at a certain time which interfered with the decidedly unscheduled parts of her life that involved meting out a variation of vigilante justice. Criminals generally did not wait for her to get out of a concert or auction or gallery opening to start causing trouble.

Generally though, being a reporter left Rose with as flexible of a schedule as she wanted. She only had to be in the office long enough to get assignments and turn in any necessary hard copy. The rest of the time she could work from wherever there was internet, which was a huge perk.

Rose was going to thoroughly enjoy using that perk tomorrow. She had an article about a new art program for seniors to finish up and a date with a certain barista to keep and Cosmic Latte had free wifi .

Not for the first time, Rose wished she could use her powers to make tomorrow come faster.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Amy spent more time getting ready for work than she normally did. She didn't bother to try lying to herself, she was desperately hoping that Rose would come back by the shop today and she wanted to look her best. Achieving this goal was a little more difficult than normal since she had been out until three AM as Siren. She'd stopped a few muggings and then stumbled onto a gang that had been orchestrating a series of assaults. It had taken a bit of work to subdue the ten men she'd found but she'd managed it.

All in a night's work, really.

The aftermath, though, was a bitch when she was trying to impress someone. The dark circles beneath her eyes from a lack of sleep were easily dealt with with a bit of normal makeup wizardry. The bruises were a little more difficult to handle but by the time it was time to leave her flat, Amy was satisfied by the result. She slicked on her favorite lippie, fluffed her hair one last time and breezed out the door.

"What's got you so jumpy today, Pond?" Martha asked as she pulled a shot of espresso for herself. It was an hour into Amy's shift and Cosmic Latte was completely empty.

"Why do you always call me Pond instead of Amy?" she shot back instead of answering. She _had_ been on high alert all day, glancing up expectantly anytime the bell announced the door opening but she hadn't realized Martha had noticed.

"Habit from the hospital," she said, leaning back against the counter, espresso in hand. "We all use last names for everything. Now, spill."

Amy rolled her eyes halfheartedly. This is why she and Martha got along. The other girl was smart and observant and stubborn. It was just a pain when Amy was trying to hide something like a crush on a customer.

"I'm hoping someone comes in. I kind of invited them," she admitted after Martha raised an eyebrow at her.

The med student gave Amy an appraising look. "Is it that blonde from yesterday?"

Amy must have looked completely startled because Martha cracked up. "Oh god, the look on your face. You're _terrible_ at keeping secrets you know. I can read you like a book." She took a deep breath, getting her laughing under control. "You really don't have to look so surprised, it was actually impossible not to notice you flirting with her yesterday. She the one you're waiting on?"

"Yeah, don't know if she's coming in or not. I let her know when I was going to be in today so I'm hoping she has time to drop by."

"She seemed pretty into you yesterday," Martha mused. "I'm sure she'll show up."

Amy smiled at her co-worker and quickly spun around to face the door at the sound of the bell. She tried not to look disappointed at finding a woman in a suit texting as she approached the counter instead of Rose. Judging by Martha's quiet snort behind her, she didn't do a very good job. She took the woman's order and started making the large, nonfat, triple shot latte with two pumps of vanilla while Martha looked on.

The woman took her drink and left and Amy turned back to Martha. "If Rose comes in and it's not too busy can you cover me while I talk to her for a while?"

"You're due for a break anyways. I've been letting you handle all the customers since I figured you might start getting even twitchier if you had nothing to do."

"That your professional medical opinion?" Amy teased.

"Absolutely," Martha intoned solemnly. Something behind Amy caught her attention and the med student raised her eyebrow, smirking. "I think your crush is about to pick a great time to steal you away from work. Don't know what I'm going to do without your help during this rush," she gestured at the empty café.

Amy turned to survey the shop herself just as the bell announced the opening of the door. This time the blonde with a smile like sunshine that Amy had been waiting for was actually the one entering.

"Decided to come back," Rose said, sauntering up to the counter.

"Couldn't resist my caffè mocha, could you?"

"More like there was this really cute barista who just happened to leave her shift on the side of my cup. Couldn't resist an invitation like that." Rose was grinning at Amy. She waited a beat before adding, "The caffè mocha was also incredible though."

"I was about to take offense to my coffee making skills," the redhead teased, grabbing two mugs and waving off Rose's offer to pay. "I invited you, the coffee's on me."

"It will actually be on you if you don't stop making moon eyes at blondie over there instead of actually making coffee," Martha cut in with a smile, making her way over to the register where Rose was. "I'm Martha, by the way."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Rose. You here to warn me off of Amy," she paused, sending the ginger a questioning glance after she let out a snort, "or to tell me not to hurt her?"

"Just wanted to meet you officially and tell you good luck. That one's a handful," she said, hooking a thumb towards Amy.

Rose's eyes widened. "Did the two of you…" she trailed off as the pair of them burst into laughter.

"God no," Martha choked out as soon as she recovered. "Never dated. Girls aren't my thing."

"Which is a shame," Amy cut in.

"But I've known Amy since she moved to London and I feel qualified to confirm that she's a handful for most everyone," Martha continued, ignoring Amy's interruption, "friends or potential girlfriends."

"A very pleasant handful though," Amy qualified, winking at Rose who was struggling not to giggle at the pair of them.

"You're ridiculous," Martha said, shaking her head. "Now get on with you. You're on break now so no being behind the counter."

"I'm going!" She turned to Rose as she rounded the counter with their drinks in hand. "She thinks she's being helpful but she's going to eavesdrop on us the entire time."

"What else are friends for?" Rose teased, sending Martha a conspiratorial wink.

Amy sighed dramatically. "I have a distinct feeling that the two of you knowing each other is not going to be good for my sanity from here on out." The matching grins they sent her just confirmed her theory.

She set the coffees down on the corner table furthest from the counter and sat down, gesturing for Rose to take the other seat.

"So," Rose started as soon as she sat down. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before reaching out to fiddle with her steaming cup of coffee. "Hello."

"Think we already did the hellos," Amy said, amusement coloring her voice.

"Right, knew that," she answered, letting out a self-conscious laugh. "I get a little tongue tied in situations like this."

The blush that was staining her cheeks was rather endearing. "Situations like what?"

"You fishing for compliments?" Rose teased, leaning one arm on the table top.

"Maybe I am," she shot back, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "You gonna indulge me?"

"Might as well since it's our first date and I want to make a good impression." She watched Amy's face closely as she uttered the word date for the first time in connection with their informal meetup and was rewarded with a smile that was significantly softer than the brash, flirtatious one she'd seem most often so far. "I get tongue tied when it finally hits me that I have to have a real conversation with someone I'm interested in or think is cute. Flirting's all well and good but it's like a good fantasy."

"Oh?"

"Supremely satisfying and not at all terrifying as long as it stays fictional. Conversations are real and much more nerve wracking." Rose busied her hands with her coffee, picking it up to take a sip. She hummed in pleasure as the coffee and chocolate hit her tongue.

"Well, I think you're doing just fine with the conversation," Amy said, eyes falling to Rose's lips as she licked whipped cream off of them. "Any first date that involves talk of fantasies is a good one in my mind."

"Oh my god, this is exactly what I'm talking about. I either can't talk or I say stupid things," Rose said with a groan, burying her face in her hands to hide her growing blush.

"Hey," Amy reached out and took hold of one of Rose's hands, pulling it away from her face. "It was a great metaphor, I'm just teasing you. I have a hard time with first dates, too."

"Really?"

"Really," she promised. "Why don't we try to stick to normal first date topics for a bit. We'll see if we manage to circle back around to fantasies at some point."

"Sounds good to me," Rose said, relieved. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach doing acrobatics when Amy squeezed her hand. She hadn't let go of it after drawing it away from her face and Rose had no intention of taking it back any time soon.

"So what is it you do when you're not stopping in at coffee shops for your caffeine fix?" Amy asked, figuring she'd start off easy. She and Rose both needed to find their footing in a conversation that wasn't completely composed of outrageous flirting.

"I work for the Daily News as a reporter."

"Oh, that sounds fun! What do you cover?"

Rose could hear the genuine interest in Amy's voice which was a rarity when she told people about her profession. Usually people started telling her how print journalism was declining or made the assumption that she was out for a scoop of some sort.

"I'm in the Culture and Society sector and mostly focus on music and art events. It's a lot of gallery openings and concerts and spotlight pieces on local artists and programs."

"All worthy things to be writing about. Do you enjoy it?"

"Yeah, I do. For the most part my schedule's really flexible, which is a huge plus," she gestured at the table with her free hand. "Let's me do things like this in the middle of the day. Plus I thought about being an artist once upon a time but… that didn't work out. Getting to see people living their dreams is the next best thing though and I love giving people an outlet to share that dream with others."

Amy wanted to ask why being an artist didn't work out but she could tell Rose didn't want to talk about it. Maybe when they knew each other better. "Well, I can tell you I didn't think I'd be working in a coffee shop at 23," she offered.

"What's your dream?" Rose asked, taking another sip of her coffee.

"I moved to London partly to chase a modeling career," Amy revealed, tracing a finger around the rim of her mug.

"You'd be brilliant at that," Rose said. "But that's not your dream, is it?"

Amy looked at her with wide eyes. "How do you do that?"

"Journalist super powers?" Rose answered with a raised eyebrow.

The ginger rolled her eyes. "I've always wanted to be an author. Write a book that could touch people's lives, make the world a little better." She shook her head, looking down at the table instead of meeting Rose's eyes. "Sounds daft, I know."

Rose squeezed Amy's hand and waited for her to look up. "I think it sounds wonderful."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Her smile was wide and bright and Amy just wanted to bask in it. They remained silent for a few moments, both sipping on their coffees and letting their eyes wander around the still empty café.

"So, we've talked about our jobs and our dream jobs, what else are we supposed to cover on a first date?"

Amy scoffed, raising both eyebrows. "Hell if I know, last first date I went on was with some guy who was not very much interested in conversation, if you know what I mean."

"Had plenty of those," Rose said with a roll of her eyes. "You wouldn't _believe_ the blokes at the newspaper office. Way too much testosterone flying around. I had to shoot down my boss yesterday because he wouldn't take no for an answer."

Amy wrinkled her nose. "Gross."

Rose sighed dramatically, tilting her head to the side. "This is why I keep looking for a nice girl to date." She made eye contact with Amy and winked, smirk forming on her face.

Amy leaned forward, wicked look on her face. "Hate to disappoint you, but I'm not nice."

Rose propped her free arm on the table to lean closer herself, putting her face only a scant few inches from Amy's. "I'm counting on it, I'd get bored if you were."

They were so wrapped up in each other and the tension that was suddenly electrifying the air around them that they missed the group of teenagers come into Cosmic Latte. Amy was just thinking about closing the distance between them and seeing if she could taste the coffee on Rose's lips when Martha's shout pierced their bubble.

Amy gave Rose an apologetic look before pulling back and untangling their fingers from where they were still entwined on the tabletop. "Don't go anywhere yet," she said, walking backwards towards the counter so she could watch Rose. "I still need to give you my number."

"I'm not planning on leavin'," Rose assured her. "I brought work in case you were busy."

"Good." With that, she spun on her heel and headed behind the counter, snagging her apron along the way.

Rose and a couple of the teenagers unashamedly enjoyed the view as she walked away.

Once Amy was busy with whipping up specialty drinks for the group, Rose pulled out her laptop and started working on the art program piece, pulling up the notes from the interviews she'd conducted a few days ago to refer to. If she could drum up enough attention with this piece she wanted to turn it into a series where she interviewed the seniors who were benefitting from it. Adam would probably never approve it but she could dream.

She was still writing half an hour later when Amy plopped down in the chair across from her.

"Being a barista is overrated," she said with a huff, slumping down in her seat.

"Been busy?" Rose asked, closing her laptop after saving her progress.

"Slammed, didn't you notice?"

Rose looked sheepish. "Got caught up in my article, wasn't paying attention to anything else."

"One track mind, I like that in a woman," Amy teased with a wink.

Rose turned bright pink and looked down, not bothering to fight back a smile. She was already smitten with this woman and she didn't even know her last name. Honestly, she should probably figure that out.

"You know," Rose started, propping her chin up on her hand. "I'm already sitting here thinking about a second date and I don't even know your full name."

"Is that a prerequisite to dating?"

"Usually, yeah."

"What if I'm a superhero trying to protect my secret identity?" Amy asked, tongue in cheek as she leaned forward over the table. "Can I trust you?"

Rose almost laughed at the irony. "How about I go first, then?"

"Get on with it, then," Amy said, leaning back and grinning at the blonde.

"Rose Marion Tyler, at your service," Rose said after a brief pause. She saw Amy open her mouth and lifted a finger at her. "And no 'Maid Marian' jokes," she warned.

Amy's smirk spoke volumes. "I wouldn't."

"You so would."

"Okay, I totally was going to," she admitted.

Rose cupped her hands around her mouth and crowed, "Knew it."

"Shut up, got me pegged already."

"Still don't know your name, though."

"Amelia Jessica Pond, possibly a superhero in hiding," Amy replied with a toss of her head. It was a bit of a risk to even associate herself with superheroes since she actually was one, but honestly, who would think their local barista or possible girlfriend was actually a crime fighting vigilante?

No one. No one would actually think that. That's why it was safe. Plus, plenty of people joked about being a superhero.

"That's a pretty name," Rose said, interrupting Amy's brief mental tangent on the security of her secret identity.

"Pretty face to go with it," Amy shot back.

Rose just laughed and Amy lit up at the sound. It was kind of crazy how into this girl she was already, Amy thought, but there was no denying that she was _very_ into Rose. She hadn't had butterflies in her stomach like this for years and it'd certainly been ages since someone's laugh made her go all gooey inside.

This feeling might be crazy but, God, she hoped it lasted.

They chatted a bit more before Amy was called back to work. The afternoon rush started and she couldn't get away for more than a few minutes over the next couple of hours. The time was still brightened by the presence of Rose and the smiles she would flash her periodically before losing herself in the story she was working on again.

It was half past four when Rose started packing up her things. It was one of the few nights that was completely her own and she had plans to patrol the streets as Bad Wolf. Amy caught her eye as she slipped her laptop in her bag and signaled for her to wait just a minute.

As soon as she had served the customer at the counter and whispered something to Martha, Amy made her way over to Rose's table. She rested a hand on the back of the chair opposite where Rose was standing.

"You leaving?"

"Yeah, I know you get off soon but I have a thing I have to get to," Rose explained vaguely.

Amy nodded understandingly. "Thanks for hanging out here today, I really enjoyed it."

Rose tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, smiling widely. "I did too. Second date?"

"Definitely," Amy said. "Sometime when I'm not working."

Rose fiddled with her mobile before handing it over to Amy. "Just put your number in and I'll text you in a bit. We can work something out, I'm sure."

"You better actually text me," Amy warned as she tapped her number in and handed the phone back to its owner.

"Promise," Rose said holding out a pinky.

Amy grinned as she hooked her own pinky through Rose's and shook it. She definitely had a keeper here.

"Alright, I'll talk to you later," Rose said, gathering her bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

Amy debated for maybe a quarter of a second before moving forward to hug the blonde. She caught a whiff of vanilla and strawberries before she pulled away. She gave Rose a halfhearted slug on the arm, ignoring the blush she could feel painting her cheeks. "Later."

The smile Rose flashed her before walking out the door was almost blinding and Amy walked back behind the counter in a daze.

Martha smirked at her and started singing under her breath. "Rose and Amy sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G…"

"Shut up," Amy muttered, hip checking Martha. Her smile remained firmly in place for the remainder of her shift.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Rose clicked on the police scanner in her flat as she started shedding the clothes she'd worn to her date with Amy and pulled out her crime fighting uniform. She smiled as she thought of the fiery, contradictory ginger she'd spent the afternoon with. She'd almost frozen time around that hug to make it last longer, to give herself more time to commit the scent of citrus and coffee and flowers to memory.

She had tapped out a text to Amy less than five minutes after leaving Cosmic Latte that Amy had answered the minute her shift ended and the two of them arranged to meet for chips later in the week.

A second date, Rose thought with a smile. She was going to go on a second date and she was _excited_ about it. It had honestly been ages since she'd actually wanted to date someone, since she'd been this attracted to and genuinely interested in someone. It was about time that her love life was resuscitated.

Rose carefully pulled on her Bad Wolf outfit. Reinforced spandex that helped to deflect blows and knives was not easy to get on and off. The outfit was a deep red with swirls of gold around the collar and waistline and it covered her whole body. Once she'd wrestled her way into it, Rose pulled on the matching pair of elbow length red gloves and donned her hood to complete her outfit.

It had been a few days since she'd been able to get out there. She'd seen that Siren had made a big bust the night before though and had smiled. She loved that there was another female superhero making waves now. Rose hoped that one day she and Siren would manage to cross paths and work together. She had a feeling they'd be brilliant together if given half a chance.

The police scanner crackled and a call for assistance at a potential robbery in progress filled the air. Rose's smile was the definition of wolfish as she grabbed her domino mask and slipped out of her window. Bad Wolf was back in action.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Rose was still covered in bruises from her night out when she met up with Amy for chips a couple days later. Her suit may protect her from knives and other sharp objects and deflect a bit of the force of various blow but it was not up to completely deflecting an unexpected bowling ball that was thrown at her back.

Really, who threw bowling balls around anyways? Who even _owned_ a bowling ball?

She smiled through the date though and when Amy took her hand as they walked out of the chippy, Rose felt like she could fly, all pain forgotten.

They walked hand in hand until they reached a corner where they had to go opposite directions.

"Guess this is goodnight, then," Rose said, swinging their hands between them. She was smiling up at the ginger, eyes all soft and warm. She was not at all ready to actually say goodnight.

"We could go get a coffee somewhere," Amy offered, not quite ready to let go of Rose for the night either.

Rose laughed. "Amy, you work in a coffee shop all day! Aren't you tired of coffee?"

Amy used their joined hands to pull Rose closer. "I'd suffer through another cup or two for you."

"My brave heroine, Amelia Pond," the blonde teased, swaying closer still.

Amy rolled her eyes but couldn't prevent her smile from growing larger. "Just for that, no coffee for you."

Rose pouted up at her and Amy would have had to be a saint to be able to resist the temptation she presented at that moment. And really, Amy had never been good at being saintly.

With her free hand, Amy cupped Rose's cheek and leaned down to press her lips gently against the blonde's. She kept the pressure light giving Rose time to process and pull away if she wanted. When the pressure was returned, Amy's mouth curled into a smile against Rose's.

She pulled back briefly. "This is okay?" she asked, wanting to make sure.

"More than," Rose answered, charmingly out of breath from their chaste kiss. She untangled her fingers from Amy's before threading them through her hair and pulling her down for another kiss.

A few moments passed as they learned the texture of their lips against one another, figured out how they responded to different pressures. It was all very chaste until it wasn't.

As they slotted their lips back together after an infinitesimal change in angle Amy opened her mouth slightly to swipe her tongue across Rose's bottom lip before nipping at it lightly. Rose exhaled into the kiss, a happy noise emanating from her as she opened her mouth beneath Amy's and tightened her hold in Amy's hair. Their tongues tangled together tentatively at first, learning the rhythm of this new dance. They traded control easily, moving the kiss from Rose's mouth to Amy's and back again, tongues stroking against each other and finding sensitive spots on the roofs of each other's mouths.

They only broke apart at the sound of a car horn blaring as it drove past. Rose giggled a bit, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and looking up at Amy through her eyelashes.

"Forgot we were still standin' on a street corner," she admitted.

Amy watched as her tongue darted out to wet her lips before biting down on the bottom one and almost moved to complete the action herself but held back. Rose looked thoroughly kissed and it was an image she wanted to remember forever.

"I did too," she said instead of blurting out something about how Rose tasted like the vinegar from her chips and peppermint and spice and how it didn't make sense that those flavors worked together but Amy wanted to keep tasting to see if she could figure it out.

Rose grinned. "I'm sure you already know this, but you're a phenomenal kisser."

"Always nice to get good feedback," Amy answered breezily. "I've had lots of practice. Was a kissogram back before I moved to London so I got to kiss a lot of people."

"Sounds like a fun job."

"It was. Didn't do much for my CV but I learned a few things."

"Oh?" Rose was grinning wickedly, waiting to see if Amy would divulge her secrets.

"Well for one, it helped me figure out that I'm bi," she started.

"Then I'm even further in debt to your past as a kissogram," Rose interrupted with a wink.

Amy just tossed her hair and smirked at her date.

"What else did you learn?"

"That most people don't really know how to kiss," she said. She watched as Rose turned over those words before continuing. "Obviously you are one of those who have it all figured out though since you're annoyingly perfect and very excellent at the kissing thing."

"I think there were a few compliments buried in there," Rose said with another laugh. She reached out and laced her fingers through Amy's again before pulling her hand up so she could lay a kiss on Amy's knuckles. "I can promise I'm not perfect but thanks for thinking so."

"I should probably get home," Amy said, regret coloring her voice. "I open the shop tomorrow which means getting there at five at the latest and it's already getting late."

"I would say that I didn't want to deprive you of your beauty sleep but you're already beautiful without it," Rose commented, tongue peeking out the corner of her smile.

"Now who's being the flatterer?"

"Still you."

Amy tugged Rose into a hug and laid one more soft kiss on her lips before whispering goodnight and backing away.

The whole walk back to her flat, Amy felt like she was walking on air.

Rose spent her walk savoring the faint taste of cherry chapstick that still clung to her lips from Amy's kisses and grinning like a fool.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Rose dropped by Cosmic Latte whenever she had a chance. She brought her laptop with her so she could work on her articles there and could chat to Amy on her breaks.

Martha teased the both of them relentlessly for going all starry eyed around each other all the time. Rose teased her right back about the boyfriend Martha talked about all the time that none of them had met yet.

"So, what are you working on today?" Amy asked as she came up behind Rose. She leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek before sinking into the chair next to her. It had been two weeks since their kiss on the street corner and they were officially dating.

(Rose was still ecstatic about that development and called Amy her girlfriend whenever she got the chance. Amy just rolled her eyes good-naturedly and proceeded to do the exact same thing whenever she saw the opportunity to talk about Rose.)

(Martha had plenty of good reasons to tease the both of them because of this. There was also the time she found them snogging in the stockroom that she hadn't let them forget about.)

"Just a short piece on a new exhibit that's opening at one of the gallery's next week. Adam's still pissed that I turned him down and won't let me do any exciting pieces or work on my own projects for the time being," Rose said with a roll of her eyes.

"He's a prick," Amy said decisively.

"That was never in doubt."

Both girls giggled and Rose reached out a hand to lace her fingers with Amy's on the tabletop, closing her laptop to focus on her girlfriend. Amy turned Rose's hand face up so she could trace her fingertips along the lines of her palm.

"You busy tonight?" Amy asked.

"Not if I finish this article while I'm here."

"I was thinking we could go get chips when my shift's over."

"You do know the way a girl's heart, Amelia Pond," Rose said, batting her eyelashes.

Amy kicked her lightly in the shins. "If you keep calling me Amelia I'm going to start sabotaging your coffee order."

"Don't worry, Rose, I'll make sure you get the right drink," Martha commented as she walked by to wipe down a table near them that had been recently vacated.

"You're a star, Martha. You sure I can't change your mind about dating girls?" Rose teased with a wink.

Martha let out a dramatic sigh. "Even if you could, our dear Amelia here is first in line to claim me for a date and she'd probably steal my heart before you got the chance."

"Tragic." Rose's grin was as wide as it could get, eyes sparkling with mischief.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Why did I ever let the two of you meet?"

"We were all just meant to be," Rose said, leaning forward. She flicked her eyes from Martha back to Amy and then affected a stage whisper. "Don't worry, I still like you best."

She couldn't help it, Amy started laughing. This was her life now, apparently. It was a bit ridiculous and more than a bit amazing and she loved it.

"So, chips?" Rose asked once Amy's laughter drew to a close.

"Definitely. I get off at six."

"I'll be here," Rose promised. She squeezed Amy's hand and then pulled away, opening her laptop again. "Get back to work so I can finish this article and let you take me out for chips."

"Yes ma'am." Amy winked at her before standing and sauntering back to the counter, knowing that Rose was watching her leave.

Rose shook her head and focused back in on her laptop. She still had quite a bit to finish up if she wanted to keep her date with Amy. And a bit of rearranging to do. She had been planning on going out as Bad Wolf tonight but if she had a date, she might have to change that to tomorrow night which meant she also needed to start her next piece on a local girl from the Estates who was being recognized as a cello prodigy. She'd already handled all the interviews and the basic research, she just had to put it together.

She rolled her shoulders and zeroed in on the screen in front of her. One thing at a time. She _would_ get finished in time to go out for chips with Amy.

Amy stole glances at Rose as she worked. The blonde was entirely engrossed in her work, not even noticing when Martha replaced her drink with a fresh one. A fond smile snuck onto her face, it was wonderful to see Rose so into what she did for a living.

Sometimes Amy wanted to ask her about her own art, about the occasional mentions of how she used to draw and paint and the fading calluses on her hands from holding pencils and paintbrushes, but she always bit back the words. She could still remember the sadness and the resigned tone in which Rose had first told her about her former aspirations of being an artist and she didn't want to pick at a wound that obviously wasn't healed over all the way, not when this thing between the two of them was still so new.

Still, she wondered. She couldn't help it. Amy wanted to know all of Rose, all the smiles and laughs and kisses and what she sounded like when she came apart at the mercy of her hands and mouth. She wanted to know how Rose dealt with really bad days and what kind of alcohol she liked best for Friday nights spent alone in her flat. She wanted to know why Rose came into the coffee shop with bags under her eyes, moving like every step was a challenge, and ordered an extra shot in her coffee. She wanted to know her past and her plans for the future and why she threw herself into her work like it was the only thing that existed. She wanted to know the secrets that the quirk of Rose's lips suggested she had and what that particular smirk tasted like when she kissed it off her lips.

She wanted all of Rose, the good and the bad, and it scared her. She was in deep with this girl and it'd only been a couple of weeks. It was a freefall, exhilarating and terrifying and amazing and incomprehensible. It would take time to get to know all the different aspects of Rose but Amy was willing to take her time. Rose was worth it, what they were building together was worth it. And besides, Amy had secrets and hidden pieces of herself as well and the prospect of one day laying herself bare and revealing them to Rose made her stomach twist with nerves.

That was all for another day though. Today she just had to get through her shift and then she was taking her girlfriend out for chips. Just a normal, commonplace date that did not require earth-shattering revelations or plans for the future beyond once again tasting vinegar secondhand on Rose's lips.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"And then, he actually had the nerve to call me for a second date," Amy revealed, Scottish accent thickening in indignation.

"After ignoring you and hitting on the waitress for the entirety of the first one?"

"Yes! And he was shocked when I turned him down flat."

Rose shook her head in disbelief and continued swinging their joined hands between them as they walked. They were about a block away from the chippy where they'd eaten and were slowly making their way to the corner where they normally parted ways. Somehow, they'd ended up on the topic of terrible dates they had each been on in the past.

Amy slowed to a stop and looked down at Rose with a puzzled expression on her face, eyebrows pulling together. "You alright?"

"Yeah, 'course, why wouldn't I be?" Rose asked, squeezing Amy's hand.

"Uh, because I asked you a question about thirty seconds ago and you didn't even seem to hear me."

"Was distracted," Rose admitted, wicked smile creeping onto her face.

"Oh really." Amy swayed a bit closer. "By what?"

Rose's smile reached full wattage, brown eyes full of mischief. Amy was opening her mouth to say something but Rose didn't give her a chance, just tugged her into the alleyway they were standing near and pinned Amy against the wall.

"By the thought of doing this," Rose whispered in Amy's ear before pulling back to look her in the eye.

"Walking on the wildside, pulling me into a dark alley like this," Amy teased, eyes sparkling. "Could be dangerous."

"I'll protect you," Rose assured her before leaning forward and pressing her lips to Amy's, fully intent on snogging her to within an inch of her life.

Amy's hand moved to rest on Rose's arse, pulling her closer. Rose's hands were far from idle, working their way under Amy's top as the kiss continued, grew more heated. Both of them were clinging to each other and trying to eliminate the space between them when the unmistakeable sound of a gun being cocked caused them both to freeze.

"Now that I've enjoyed the show," the criminal sneered, east London accent thick, "why don't you two birds give me your jewelry and your wallets."

Rose turned around slowly, trying to subtly stay in front of Amy. She wasn't bulletproof by any means but she figured her powers made her better equipped to deal with this situation than her girlfriend. "Look mate, you really don't want to do this," she said.

"I really do. Now stop jabberin' and hop to it," he answered, waving the gun at them and taking a step closer.

"No," Amy spoke up, taking a step forward herself. "Just fuck off and leave us alone."

The mugger fired a shot above their heads and the two women sprung into action.

Amy's hair whipped around her face as she engaged her powers and forced the man to drop his gun and raise his hands above his head. The guy wasn't moving at all though, wasn't even yelling like people normally did when she wasn't actively controlling their mouth while using her powers on them.

She glanced to the side to see how Rose was reacting and yelped at the soft gold glow emanating from her girlfriend.

"No way," Amy breathed. "You're Bad Wolf."

The glow faded from Rose's eyes but the aura around her remained intact. "Yeah, the glow kinda gives it away doesn't it." She glanced at their captured criminal who wasn't moving a muscle despite the fact that Rose had just slowed time around him, not stopped it completely, and then back at Amy. "That must mean you're Siren."

"Got it in one," Amy confirmed. A sharp smile spread over her face and she cocked her hip as she ran her eyes over Rose, seeing her anew in this literal new light. "This is completely brilliant, by the way. I've been wanting to meet Bad Wolf, always thought she was hot."

"Going to cheat on me with myself?" Rose shot back with a feral smile of her own.

"Oh yeah."

"Fine by me, I've been wanting to meet Siren as well," Rose admitted, leaning closer to her girlfriend.

Amy didn't waste another second. She buried her hand in Rose's hair and pulled her in for a kiss. It was fierce and almost violent, teeth nipping and clashing as they fought for control, neither of them holding back at all.

It tasted like power, like a new beginning without secrets, like the blood from Amy's lip where Rose had bit down a tad too hard..

When they broke apart they were both panting. Rose reached for Amy's hand and tugged her out of the alleyway and back into the warmly lit street, neither of them sparing a backwards glance at their would-be mugger. They each knew their powers would wear off as soon as they were a couple of blocks away.

"Told you that alley could be dangerous," Amy quipped, bumping Rose's shoulder with her own.

"And I told you I'd protect you," Rose replied with a smile up at the ginger. The gold was gone but Amy was certain she was still glowing.

"This is so surreal," Amy exclaimed after a few moments of silence. "I mean, what are the odds?"

"I'm just glad I don't have to worry about keepin' this a secret anymore. Dating while trying to keep up a double life as a superhero is bloody hard!"

"This is why we both have so many stories of failed dates," Amy pointed out.

"Very true."

"And I'll have you know, I told you I was a superhero in hiding like the second time we met. Not my fault you didn't take me seriously."

Rose tilted her head, trying to remember and then burst out laughing. "Oh my god, you really did tell me that, didn't you? I almost panicked at you bringing up superheroes!"

"We're quite the pair aren't we?"

"Yeah, we are," Rose agreed.

They walked another block before Rose stopped and pulled Amy around to look at her. She bit her lip nervously before blurting out what was on her mind. "Us being Bad Wolf and Siren isn't going to change anything is it? Because I really like the thing we have going."

Amy squeezed her hand. "It's not going to change us. We're still exactly who we were before, just with a couple of big secrets exposed. We're still us so nothing's going to change except we might get to take down some bad guys together and swap trade secrets."

Rose let out a breath. "Okay that's good to hear. I just had a momentary crisis and started worrying."

"Hey, I like this thing we have going too and I'm not going to let a couple of superpowers get in the way."

"Knew there was a reason I liked you," Rose said, beaming up at Amy.

"Wanker," Amy answered fondly before leaning down to press a gentle kiss to Rose's lips. "Let's head home though, I have to work early tomorrow, big revelations or no."

"Mmm, if you insist."

They walked to their street corner where they spent another couple of minutes kissing each other goodnight before turning in opposite directions to go back to their separate flats, both of them grinning like fools. It was not the way either of them had expected their date to end but they were thrilled to have the weight of keeping their big secrets lifted.

Neither of them gave a second thought to the mugger who had seen their faces, each assuming that no one would listen to a second rate criminal who claimed to know what the two superheroes looked like without their masks. They didn't account for the fact that the mugger was indirectly working for someone who was _very_ interested in knowing who Bad Wolf and Siren really were.

As Amy and Rose slid into their respective beds and turned off the lights, lips painted red were curling into a satisfied smile somewhere across town as their owner listened to the best report she'd gotten in weeks. She was finally one step closer to finding the two superheroes who were the most severe threat to her plan to control London.


End file.
